Echium Spring in California

A 4.5" x 6.5" postcard from Desiree Habicht

My mouth has been watering for ages over Desiree's beautiful botanical studies in pen and watercolour. Now it's like a bunch of Echium has been delivered to my door, which just goes to prove if you want something enough it will come.

Desiree's postcard message says 'During my 9 day plein air paint-out I saw this brilliant blue spotting the hills. The bush can get very large and woody so best grown in background or kept pruned.' There speaks an authentic gardener as well as an artist.

This gorgeous postcard tingles with colour. I'm hoping Desiree will tell me what that beautiful blue is because I don't find anything like it in my paintbox.

Thank you Desiree. One very happy fan here.

Winter in Richmond Park; a postcard from Alison to Ronelle

Alison Staite's (Lens and pencil) postcard reached me just in time before I took off to Singapore.

What can I say? Beautiful in its monochrome colours, with a serenity and quietude that captures your spirit. "...but oh, wait a minute...what is that behind the tree stirring this peace...? Oh look, a deer! There...to the right! Oh, and another one,..! Aren't they so beautiful?"

Winter in Richmond Park

A story...this is what Alison's postcard is about. And reading her story in her own handwriting, makes it personal. Gives it life. Movement.

I know you would like Richmond Park.  Some of the old oak trees. like the one I have painted here are so contorted and bizarre they seem unreal.

The park is full of deer who eat the lower branches.  This gives the trees a manicured loo, some of them like lollipops - like the ones in the distance on my postcard.

The rest of the park is covered in rough grass and bracken.  All this surrounded by a huge continuous wall enclosing the area 10km2 - that's three times the size Central Park in New York.  I am so lucky to have this on my doorstep!

Come and visit!

Stirs the desire to look again. Closer.

And simply enjoy.

Links re Richmond Park, London

• More reading:  Royal Parks: Richmond Park
• Location on Google Maps:  Richmond Park

Gallery of February Postcards.

All the postcards of February have reached their destinations safe and sound. Each card has been presented in an individual post the past few weeks. Scroll down the blog to see and read about each card.